Sweet Sad Music
by clare-neko
Summary: Mimi has been locked in a hidden castle ever since she was 5 yrs. old. She has no idea why but at least her captor isn't too evil. Now, 17 yrs. later, Prince Matt is told his missing fiancé is Mimi and has to save her. But what happens when they meet? AU
1. epilogue

Sweet Sad Music

Epilogue

Summary:

AU/Fantasy Mimi has been locked in a hidden castle ever since she was 5 yrs. old. She has no idea why but at least her captor isn't too evil. Now, 17 yrs. later, Prince Matt is told his missing fiancé is Mimi and has to save her. But what happens when they meet? And what is so special about Mimi and her past?

Standard disclaimers apply.

Note: Their languages will vary from old-fashioned to a bit contemporary.

-X-

"Do you believe in love, Matt-chan?" the little girl asked the young boy beside her sweetly, staring at the beguiling sunset portrayed in front of her, the gold and orange strands of color lighting the sky for the last time before twilight claimed the world. She turned to Matt and saw the pretty colors highlight his blonde hair and startling blue eyes.

Matt turned to face her, face scrunched up in confusion. "Love? I don't know. Maybe." He shrugged his little shoulders and went back into staring at the sunset. Dusk was the only time you could stare at the glorified sun without risking harming your eyes.

Mimi pouted and crossed her arms. "Well, I believe in love! My parents love me and I love them. And I love butterflies and sunsets and…and…music!" She smiled brilliantly, the brown of her eyes seemingly glowing golden under the light blaze of the red-orange setting sun.

The blonde little boy smirked, marring his obviously handsome features. It was obvious that when Matt would grow up, he'd be the terror of all the girls in the kingdom.

"Well, butterflies are silly. And sunsets are cool, I guess. But singing?" Matt made a face childishly. "Pretty lame."

Mimi frowned at the last thing he said.

"Singing isn't lame, Matt-chan. It's…it's…butiful…" Mimi rolled the word in her tongue, getting the pronunciation wrong. Her shoulder-length sunshine brown hair fluttered in the breeze. "My Mama and Papa say I have a special voice. They say that…that someday I will save people." She shrugged though. "I don't know what that means."

Matt snorted.

She shot him an evil look.

"So, do you believe in love?"

"You know I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"_I don't!_"

"_Yes, you do!_"

Both five-year-olds glared at one another before smiling and laughing.

"Well, am I your friend?" the clever girl asked shyly.

Matt scratched behind his ear. Well, duh. "Of course. You're my friend."

Mimi nodded excitedly. "Friends love each other, everyone knows that."

"And?"

"So! It means you do believe in love because you have a friend!" Mimi explained triumphantly. She grinned from ear to ear.

Matt thought about it before nodding slowly. "Well, if you put it that way, Mimi-chan. Then I do believe in love I think. Yeah, I guess I love you."

Mimi smirked. "Told you."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"_Did too!_"

"_Did not!_"

-X-

That night, Lady Akari was tucking in her only daughter. Mimi was filled with excess energy and was wriggling on her bed, messing her silken sheets and wrinkling her pink nightgown. Her amber eyes were twinkling and there was a large smile on her excited face.

Lady Akari smiled gently as she tried to lay down Mimi. "Darling, please hold still. What has made you so excited?"

"Well, this afternoon, I proved that Matt-chan is wrong!" Mimi recalled happily, clapping her hands. "He said he didn't believe in love…very cy…cy…cyni…" she racked her brain for the word her father often used that meant world-weary and jaded. "Cynical, darling," Lady Akari helpfully gave. Mimi nodded. "Yeah! Cy…cynical, that's the word. Then I said that if he didn't believe in love then why does he have friends? And when you have friends, then you must believe in love!"

The redheaded mother grinned and said, "Very good, Mimi-chan. You could be a philosopher since you're so great in making other people believe in your philosophy."

The little girl's face scrunched up in confusion, finally lying still on her bed and allowing her mother to pull the blanket over her until below her chin.

"Mama, what's a phi-philisopher?"

"Phi-lo-so-pher, darling. It's someone who searches for the world's truths and opening people's eyes to one owns belief's."

Mimi nodded. "Oh. Then maybe I should be a phi-philosopher."

Lady Akari bent down and planted a soft kiss on Mimi's forehead, touching her glossy, sunshine-brown hair that was spread around her head like a golden halo.

"But you, my darling, are destined for something much more wonderful, more promising." Lady Akari sat on the edge of the enormous silk bed. Mimi blinked back at her mother; features softening as sleep slowly took over her small body, movements going lethargic.

"What is my destiny, mama?"

"The greatest destiny, my darling," Lady Akari whispered, watching as Mimi's eyes slowly closed.

For a brief moment, the child's eyes twinkled with mischief and girlish desires. "I want to be a princess!" she murmured sleepily, giggling. "A beautiful princess with a beautiful crown…" Her smile turned peaceful as her eyelids closed, long lashes curling against her cheeks.

Lady Akari caressed her only daughter's cheeks, beautiful face dimming for a moment. "But you are already a princess, my darling. I only hope you weren't though…"

-X-

The shadow moved across the silent hallways of the Mansion, velvet robe trailing behind in a sleek glide. The face was shadowed but the moonlight slinking through the high windows lighting one side of the intruder's body, illuminating a tall and slender figure.

It walked hurriedly but elegantly, climbing the stairs to the bedrooms and stopping in front of two large oak doors, gleaming in the dim light of the moon. Beyond the doors, it could sense the small girl slumbering inside and its spine tingled with anticipation. And within the little girl, he felt the latent powers cursing through her young body, amazing and intimidating in its powers.

"You will soon be mine, little on," a soft, androgynous voice whispered.

It lifted a slender and long-fingered hand and made a circling motion gracefully. Faintly, it heard the clicking sound of the locks undoing itself and the hand pushed slightly forward and the door open soundlessly by its own accord. It slipped inside like an illusive shadow, standing over the prone form of the sunshine-haired little princess.

It bent over the girl and kissed her cheek. A lock of white hair tumbled down from the darkness of its hood and whispered, "And now you are mine."

It gently scooped the sleeping girl in its robed arm, muttering an incantation to keep her asleep until dawn no matter what noise nor movement might resound.

With little Mimi in his arms, it walked back the way it came from, not disturbing anyone as it moved with that strange grace. Mimi slept on; oblivious that she was being taken away from the life she knew and loved.

As they stepped out of the mansion and continued into the nearby forest, ominous in the darkness, the house suddenly exploded into flames, lighting the sky with a fierce, red-orange color as thick black smoke rose into the heavens. The sudden screams of the people inside the burning mansion rang through the air. The sadistic cackling of the shadowed villain mixed with the shouting, echoing deep in the forest.

But Mimi slept on, unaware that she was now in the clutches of an evil scoundrel. She slumbered on pleasantly, dreaming of wonderful and sweet things and of Yamato. Unbeknownst to her, that dream and her memory of him will fade away as time passes and that would be the last time they will see each other in a very long time.

-X-

Twelve years later…

In the palace of King Ishida, a private and royal meeting was taking place in the Royal Chamber.

"…and she is your long-lost fiancée, my son and you must save her from the Evil Sorcerer. I'm sure you remember that sweet and beautiful child…"

There was a long, tense pause. Then Crowned Prince Yamato finally reacted.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

-X-

A/N: What do you think? It's just a pathetic epilogue and if you want me to continue, then please review!!!


	2. chapter 1: royal pain in the ass

Sweet Sad Music

Chapter 1: Royal Pain In The Ass

Standard disclaimers apply.

-X-

Hidden deep in the thorn forest was a large and ancient fortress with peeling grayish tiles. The large gardens behind the manor was dead and decayed, frayed leaves and fallen branches littered everywhere with a coating of dust and spider webs. But inside the manor, everything was clean and furnished with sophisticatedly carved furniture and priceless antiquities. Mostly everything was of white marble, gleaming underneath the sunlight streaming through the large, ornate windows with the silk draperies pushed to their sides. Everything inside was a shocking contrast to the outer façade, giving an ominous non-welcome to any wandering strangers.

But though Mimi has been held captive in this castle/prison for most of her life – twelve years to be in fact – she nevertheless loved it. She adored the many mysterious rooms unused for so long, finding hidden treasures and passageways that could be used as hideaways or her personal, secret room when she wanted to be left alone. Adored the gigantic kitchen where she can cook and cook and cook to her hearts content, trying every recipe in the hundreds of cookbooks. Adored the massive library with its wall-to-wall bookshelves decked out in every book printed, handwritten and magically produced otherwise. But most of all, Mimi loved the indoor garden with every kind of flora imaginable with a wonderful and beautiful fountain spewing sparks of color rather than water into the air.

Her prisoner/friend had given her this garden to love and nourish because Mimi was forbidden to go outside the manor's doors, even with all those thorny vines around the fortress. Giles had even pushed it to the limits by putting a spell on the young girl that prevented her from going outside unless external forces saved her.

Of course, there were many young men and arrogant knights who tried to rescue the damsel in distress but none had even gotten past the Thorn Maze, as everyone dubs it now. Also, there were pretty many enchantments and spells placed by Giles before the Thorn Maze to further thwart anyone from entering.

And everyone wondered what was so special about this particular young girl that the most feared sorcerer had abducted her. Speculations ranged from her unbelievable beauty to her royalty then to absurd gossips that are unmentionable.

Even the Royal Family of the Ishida Kingdom didn't know the real motives and Mimi came from their territory. But they knew they had to rescue her. After twelve years, they were finally ready to send in their trump card, and certain of their impending victory that only their trump card can accomplish.

-X-

Something erupted in the kitchen, followed by a barrage of thick, dark smoke curling out of the open, large double doors.

"Giles! _Giles!_"

Mimi frantically swatted smoke away from her face uselessly, lowering her head and squinting through the thick fog that had quickly smothered the kitchen. God, she was suffocating.

_This is it_, Mimi thought dramatically, leaning further into the wall. _This is how I'm going to die. Trapped in a burning kitchen because I didn't correctly measure the ratio of salt for my pie. What an awful way to kick the bucket. _

Of course, it didn't occur to the melodramatic young girl to just run outside the kitchen through the open doors and fetch a hose or whatever.

"Mimi! For Christ's sake, what have you done now you foolish girl!" an irritated voice spoke from the doorway, slightly muffled by the lickings of the fire against the wooden table. Mimi narrowed her stinging and watery eyes and saw a shadowy figure step inside. "Giles, is that you?" Mimi asked.

"Of course it's me!"

There was a muttered curse, Mimi winced, and suddenly the smoke and the fire and hole on the table vanished immediately, like magic.

_It is magic_, the girl thought wryly, pushing herself up and letting loose a series of coughs as she did so. The kitchen was spotlessly neat as if it hadn't been at the brink of destruction but Mimi didn't fare that good. Her dress was tattered and dirty, her face and hair covered in soot and ashes. She looked like a ragged, dirty waif in some slum!

She shook her head, hoping the soot would just come off and raked her hands through her hair, finding many frustrating knots in the mass. Mimi sighed and dusted her hopeless dress, scowling at the burned patch on the skirt. But she wasn't physically hurt, neither burns nor scratches marred her flawless skin, though she could use a bath and good scrubbing.

"Ahem," came a fake, annoyed cough from in front of her and Mimi looked up.

Giles was glaring down at her mockingly, arms crossed over his chest and head cocked to one side with one brow infuriatingly arched. "Care to explain your latest mishap, my dear?"

"Wasn't my fault," Mimi muttered under her breath, brushing a sooty strand of hair away from her face.

Giles arched brow rose higher. "Oh? And whose fault was it? Akira's?"

Akira was the only other living thing inside the mansion with Mimi and Giles. He was a sleek and vibrant tiger, overly protective and startlingly affectionate to Mimi that went past a hunter's love for his prey. Much like a sibling like love, only between a human girl and her pet.

"Well, no. He's outside playing with the birds. More like terrorizing, actually. Anyway, it was an accident Giles and I didn't mean to burn this house down," Mimi explained impatiently, itching for a bath. She knew Giles was her captor and she should do everything he said and blah, blah, blah but Giles wasn't most like captors since he gave her much freedom – except for total freedom like going out the front door – and he was really kind and sweet, genuinely caring for her. So obviously, Mimi wasn't your usually prisoner, so to speak, more like a guest who wasn't allowed to leave. But they had a real, sincere and caring friendship, like Giles was the big brother she didn't have. What Mimi couldn't understand is that why Giles took her in the first place when she was still so young and why he seemed to know so much about her, things she doesn't even know about herself. And she keeps on wondering if what he keeps on saying is true.

Besides, Giles didn't even look his reputation. Sorcerers were supposed to be old, cranky and well, ancient. But Giles weren't any of those things, uh, so he's cranky but he wasn't ancient. In fact, Giles looked probably twenty-something when in truth he was already thirty above. And he wasn't ugly. Lord no. To Mimi, her captor/big brother/friend was the handsomest guy she'd ever seen, which is perfectly biased because he's the only guy she'd ever seen in an age that looks started to matter to a girl.

But when Mimi strained her memory very hard, forcing herself, she could bring up a hazy face into her eye's mind. But she couldn't see the features, just the over-all physique of a little boy. He must have been her friend before she got taken and Mimi knew he had blonde hair, whoever he is. Sadly, Mimi couldn't recall the little blonde boy's name.

"Mimi! Are you listening to me?" Giles asked wearily, raking a hand through his dark, wavy hair. Mimi straightened and got a good look at him and suddenly grew worried. Giles had dark bags under his eyes and his hands were slightly shaking with fatigue, most likely. He looked so tired and troubled that Mimi immediately regretted the accident, knowing that it had added some strain to his nerves. But whatever could be bothering him so?

"You look positively exhausted Giles, what's wrong? Did Akira-kun try to bite off your leg again?" Mimi asked earnestly, looking down to see if he was missing a leg or something else. "Well? Are you just going to keep on scowling into space or tell me what's bothering you? You can't keep a lady waiting forever!"

Giles uttered a sigh, something he keeps on doing everytime Mimi does something not particularly good. Hey, she might be a klutz and sort of accident-prone, but she still had her dignity and she could very well make little stitches when she sows.

"It's not time to talk about it, my dear, not time at all," Giles cryptically replied, turning around and walking out.

Mimi stared at his retreating back in utter shock. He wasn't even going to punish her. Giles would often punish Mimi for her clumsy accidents with little things, like doing the dishes and cleaning the house instead of his magic doing it, but now, Giles didn't even issue his usual empty threat of: _"If you do that one more time you're cleaning the toilets for a week. Manually!" _

Mimi sighed and looked over her shoulder and saw the stove spotlessly clean, her disaster pie having vanished into god knows where. Giles couldn't actually just make things disappear but was just able to transfer them to someplace else. Mimi was often a wonderful cook but sometimes, she did have her bad moments. With a shrug, she decided to take a long bath and watch all this dust and grimes from her self and walked out of the kitchen, closing the doors behind her.

She'd always wondered where all those things Giles vanished went. And now, she couldn't help but think what happened to her poor, combusted supposedly apple pie and hoped it landed someplace empty.

-X-

God, Yamato couldn't believe his parents. He was furious with them, no, not just furious but positively livid with rage! They had no right to do this to him, no right at all.

"Actually, Matt, they do have the right," his chocolate-haired friend interrupted his raging, tranquilly leading his horse alongside Matt's. "After all, they are your parents so they can engage you off whenever and whoever they want to."

Matt scowled, shooting Taichi a nasty look. "Don't read my mind when I'm angry. Better yet, don't read my mind period."

Taichi smiled slightly, face every peaceful as was his trademark look. "But what is the use of being a powerful mage if you cannot read your friend's minds and not cause mischief?"

Yamato glared at him but didn't comment on his words. Instead, he ranted on about his bad fate. "Besides, I still think it's an injury to my rights betrothed without my permission. And to a girl I haven't met and have to rescue from some demented old bastard." The prince sighed, unconsciously tightening his grip on the reigns and making his majestic horse neigh a little at the change of pressure. "My life sucks."

On his other side, wearing a feather light armor was Sora and riding a white and majestic mare with her red hair gleaming under the patches of light filtering through the trees. "Well, the King and Queen said you two were childhood best friends before the Lady Mimi was abducted. So you technically know her."

Yamato stared at his two closest friends, one of them – the female one – he was secretly in love with, weirdly. They were a strange duo, that's for sure. Taichi, instead of being the warrior since he was a guy was instead the mild-mannered, often mischievous – the tranquility was just a façade – mage, wearing his swirling robes and pointy hat on a jaunty angle on his wild head. Then there was Sora, beautiful, brave Sora who was the warrior instead of being some simpering debutante at her ball.

And he, he was Yamato, Crowned Prince of the Ishida Kingdom and engaged to a wench he barely even knows, never mind does not remember, and currently on a quest to save said damsel from some evil, old sorcerer who kidnapped her when she was still five.

God, his life was messed up.

"Think of it this way, Matt, at least you're betrothed won't be too predictable, dull and ugly," Taichi good-naturedly told him, leaning sideways and patting Matt's shoulders comfortingly.

Matt glowered at him. "How would you know that? Did your mind-reading powers tell you? Or did God send angels in holy light to announce to the whole world that my fiancé," he bit the word out scornfully, "is some exquisite, exciting and exotic woman. I'm betting she's been half-starved, if not fully, by the sorcerer. And she's lost her spirit because of all the torture she's received."

He muttered something nasty underneath his breath, which unfortunately for him, Sora heard.

Her eyebrows leaped to the sky even as her eyes narrowed. "I can't believe you think she deserves the torture she's obviously been subjected to just because your parents engaged her to you!" Her voice was incredulous and femininely enraged. "That's so…male! She didn't even do anything wrong and you're already judging her. She's innocent and I shudder what the poor girl's state is now."

Yamato sighed. "Sorry." There was no conviction behind his apology.

Then suddenly, by magic, a slop of apple pie, horribly blackened and smelling of burnt smoke appeared above Matt and plopped on his golden, spiked head, spilling the destroyed pie down his forehead and cheeks and chin and splattering on his handsome and finely-tailored clothes.

Taichi and Sora caught each other's eyes and tried, really, really tried not to hurt their friend's feelings. But they just couldn't. Matt looked soooooo funny with scalded pie all over him and they didn't wonder at all where that rotten food came from.

They burst out laughing, pointing at him and shaking uncontrollably from their guffaws as it echoed all over the serene forest.

Matt groaned and he looked up helplessly to the heavens.

"Oh God, why do you hate me so?"

-X-

A/N: Watcha all think? Still continue or dump it all down in he hopeless bin? All depends on your reviews! So make 'em quick and long and wonderful.


	3. chapter 2: all alone in my tower

Sweet Sad Music

Chapter 2: All Alone In My Tower

Standard disclaimers apply.

-X-

Akira stretched sleepily on the luxurious rug by the bathroom, watching his mistress protectively from the open doorway, his orange and black striped fur looking soft and inviting as he yawned widely, showing razor sharp teeth that could pierce through flesh effortlessly.

Not something anyone should have for as a pet, sleeping on your bed when you're unguarded and could rip you apart into shreds easily. But Mimi loved her baby Akira greatly, after she loved Giles, of course. He was such a graceful, majestic and oooh, dangerous animal that Mimi couldn't help feeling incredibly safe when he was with her, instead of running for her life instead.

Mimi was taking a bath in the ivory bathtub, soaking her limbs thoroughly and rinsing off the dirt from her skin. She was humming a sweet tune under her breath and her voice was so pure, so sweet that Akira's ears pricked at the sound of it and closed his lids over those jade green eyes as if in ecstasy as he listened to her singing. Outside, the birds flocked around her windowsill, quiet for once as they too, listened. In fact, everything outside was so silent, so still as if they were all paying attention to this little concert of sweet melodies.

Suddenly, the sweet humming stopped and Akira growled, as if he was personally offended. The birds began chirping again and the outside broke through with all its natural noise and racket. Mimi stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her soaked body, then used another towel to dry of her hair then wrapped it around her head. She slipped her feet into her fluffy white slippers and drained the bathtub.

"Hmm, what I'd use to have someone to do everything for me, like a lady in waiting or something," murmured Mimi as she walked out of the damp bathroom. As she passed Akira, she bent down and scratched the soft fur on top of his head before walking to her closet.

Well, at least it was a compensation to have so many gowns for different occasions, though when she'd be able to use her ball dresses and park dresses was a mystery to her but she loved them all the same. Mimi had discovered a long time ago that she had a passion for fashion and since Giles seemed to have realized this as well, he provide every kind of clothes for her, filling her walk-in closet.

Mimi rummaged through her dozens and dozens of gowns until she found one of her favorite outfits. It was a pale pink dress with puffed sleeves and a slightly blown-out skirt. She paired this with pink satin slippers, with Giles casting a spell so that it would be virtually indestructible to whatever path she should walk on.

Actually, most of her things have that kind of spell so whatever Mimi did to herself or whatever happened to her, her clothes and shoes will always be intact, though not necessarily clean.

She quickly put it on, discarding the towel. Then, she pulled of the towel around her hair and let the damp strands fall down her back. Mimi picked up her brush and slid it through her hair until it dried and shone. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and sat down on the edge of her heart-shaped bed with the satin sheets.

She had nothing to do right now. Giles was somewhere in the manor, probably brooding about his latest problem in the library, so she couldn't disturb him because he'd just shout at her. Akira seemed to have fallen asleep and they couldn't play. The built-in garden was already watered and cleaned and she had no desire to cook anything yet, after that recent disaster this morning.

"Gah, I never knew being a captive could be soooo boring!" Mimi sighed as she fell back on her bed, uncaring if her dress got wrinkled, and her hair spread around her like a golden halo, though the strands were actually brown with streaks of light blonde.

She closed her eyes and relaxed her body; she spread out her arms beside her and giving a huge and deep sigh. Then she sighed again. Mimi felt a strand tickle her noise and she blew the curl away then swiped at it with her hand when it stubbornly stuck to her cheek. Then, she idly lifted her legs and slightly bent them at the knees so the skirt wouldn't completely slide down to reveal her long legs. After that, the blonde-brown haired girl lazily started kicking her legs in the air, her thoughts blank and her face expressionless.

"Aaaah! I'm soooooo bored!" Mimi cried out, dropping her legs and curling on her side, one hand tucked underneath her cheek and the other playing with a soft curl. She watched Akira's back as he slept, his sleek and majestic body rising and falling as the tiger took deep, even breaths.

Her mind was annoyingly devoid of thoughts and Mimi wanted to do something, anything – well, except cooking.

Mimi bit her lower lip and turned over on her other side so she was facing the window beside her bed. She saw the powdery blue sky and the cotton, fat clouds rolling by casually. Dark birds cheerfully fluttered by and everything outside was just so bright and inviting.

She wanted, longed to go outside this prison of a castle and roam everywhere, in the forest, through trees and seeing animals she's never met to face to face before and smell the fresh, cool breeze that ruffled the green, green leaves and colorful sights. But what she wanted to see, to experience, to smell and even taste was the ocean. She's never seen the ocean before and was always enchanted with the pirate stories in her library. To feel the cold ocean breeze, smell and taste its saltiness and feel the warm or icy waters licking at her bare toes and calves.

Mimi sighed once more, this time it was wistful and sad. She loved Giles and all, but Mimi wanted to be free. She wanted to experience the world outside, mingle with normal people and meet, oh gods yes, meet her parents. Giles had never told her about her parents or if they were still alive. Mimi hoped so. She was also curious about the little boy with blonde hair she saw if she reminisced hard enough but Giles doesn't know him too.

So, she fantasized about her family, about her life if she ever got out of this stupid fortress. Or if Giles would ever let her go willingly. He was extremely possessive and protective and Giles was terribly selfish, wanting her only for herself. Of course Mimi understood this and didn't resent him for it but still, it would be nice not to be so smothered and chained.

Though Mimi did feel a bit aggrieved that Giles had taken her away from her old life with her parents and friends for reasons still unknown, the ill feeling wasn't too much. After all, Mimi barely even remembered her old life so how could she be so enraged?

Still, Mimi couldn't help but wish.

Besides, what so special about her anyway that pushed Giles to kidnap her? Sure, she was indescribably beautiful, but a lot of girls were pretty and she had a nice voice, but that hardly could be the reason. She wasn't magically gifted like Giles or incredibly intelligent to the point of genius and Mimi was sure that she wasn't royalty. If she were, wouldn't her Royal parents send an army to fetch her the moment she was snatched away?

Or maybe she _was _a princess and her Royal parents didn't just care. But nah, who had parents like those?

Feeling cramps climbing up the side of her body that she was lying on and sat up, stretching and loosening her muscles that had started to bunch up. Her hair fell down her back in sleek waves, as it always did, but her dress was wrinkled in some places. She smoothed it flat and straightened the skirt of her gown. Mimi stood up and went to Akira and knelt behind him. The tiger woke up and looked at her over his furry shoulder and opened his mouth wide as if he were smiling in greeting.

Mimi beamed down at her darling pet and draped her arms around his soft shoulders and buried her face into Akira's soft, wild-smelling fur between his shoulder blades. Akira let out a small purr and he really seemed like a giant cat instead of a lethal tiger. His tongue slid out and licked her face affectionately, one clawed paw carefully touching the edge of her gown and purred again. Mimi giggled and let out a contented breath.

But moments like these made some restrictions just worth it.

-X-

In his library, Giles was looking down at the crumpled parchment in his tense hands. His green eyes were dark and troubled and his brows were pulled together in annoyance and his mouth was turned down in a very, very displeased frown.

His eyes scanned for the tenth time over the neatly written letter and his hands shook with his sudden fury. The parchment was incredibly wrinkled and creased since Giles had balled it up in rage then smoothed it out again for another reading for about a dozen times. He nearly threw the hated letter into the fireplace but decided against it. He searched for hidden messages between the lines but the words were exactly literal and frank.

"Damn it," he grimaced before slamming the paper – and both his hands – on his wide and polished desk. He rubbed his weary face with his hands and muttered curses under his breath.

He couldn't believe the letter.

He loathed it.

And it had to come now.

Now of all moments, when it was only the beginning. She was starting to blossom and dammit, it was his right.

-X-

_Dearest Jonah, _

_They have sent the Crowned Prince after Mimi. He is her fiancé, do you remember? He is the blonde-haired little boy she remembers vaguely. And he is a very strong and capable young man and very handsome too, last I saw him. He has only been recently told about his secret engagement and is very against it but his parents forced him and he has no choice. He must marry Mimi though the reasons they told him are indistinct and mysterious. He is very smart and will probably save her if he puts his mind to it. Add more spells and precautions if you want, but I beseech you, please let Mimi go. It is already starting and I want, no, it is my rightful duty no matter what you think, to tell her the truth._

_Along with him are his two best friends, a girl and a boy. The boy is a mage, a curiously perceptive one who can read minds and use his powers to levitate things and people. The other is a princess of a far away country but she doesn't act like a normal princess. She is a warrior, the first female General of the Ishida Army, and not even in her own home! I have heard reports that she and the Crowned Prince are having a romantic affair and are reportedly about to be affianced when his parents told him the truth. But they have yet to be proven. _

_Again, I have told you all I know. You will do what you think is right but please; think of our darling Mimi and her future. Act after deciding what is the best for her and not for you, as much as it hurts you to read this. I beseech you once more, dearest Jonah, set her free and let her live life without the chains you hate but nonetheless bind her with. _

_ Always,_

_Sophia _

-X-

A/N: Thanks for all those who reviewed. Can you guess who Jonah and Sophia are? Hehehe, well keep on guessing because I won't tell you. Or maybe, it's waaaaay to obvious! Anyway, that's it.

Please click that adorable lil' purple button down there and tell me what you think about it!!! Please sugarcoat it or I'd rather you lie anyway to make it nicer :P And yeah, no flames, really rude flames!!! Euck. Hate 'em.


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